A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

This is an incredibly atmospheric, quirky, scary, and funny film. Sometimes all at once. It’s certainly not your typical vampire film.

The‘Girl’ of the title is a vampire. One of the many wonderful, ambiguous parts of the film is that you’re never quite sure what to make of her. Just when you think she’s a kind of twisted Robin Hood character, giving bad people the comeuppance they so richly deserve, she does something that overturns that idea. Even so, you can’t help liking her and the young lad Arash who falls in with her.

It was obviously made on a budget, but the night shooting and evocative locations, the great soundtrack, and the fact that the director doesn’t spell out what you are supposed to think makes it a superb film.

If you’re going to watch one Iranian vampire movie this year, make it this one. OK, maybe this IS the only one.